International Youth Day: Women Deliver Is Accepting Applications For YLP

Women Deliver’s award-winning Young Leaders Program is now accepting applications for the 2018 Class of Young Leaders. The organization symbolically announces the application call on International Youth Day.

Since 2010, Women Deliver’s Young Leaders Program has trained, supported, and elevated more than 400 youth advocates in 108 countries who are tackling the greatest challenges facing girls, women, and young people in their communities. The new class of 300 Women Deliver Young Leaders will join this global network of changemakers who are catalyzing progress for gender equality and the health, rights, and wellbeing of girls, women, and young people – with a particular emphasis on sexual and reproductive health and rights and meaningful youth engagement.

“People often say that young people are the leaders of tomorrow. But, young people are leaders and powerful agents of change today—right here and right now,” said Katja Iversen, President/CEO of Women Deliver. “They reject the status quo and instead drive change for girls and women in courageous and innovative ways. The Women Deliver Young Leaders Program gives young advocates the skills, resources, connections, and global platforms they need to maximize their impact and share their solutions with the world.”

Similar to past years, the 2018 class of Young Leaders will receive the training and resources necessary to extend their influence and actively shape the programs and policies that affect the health, rights, and wellbeing of girls, women, and young people. This includes going through the Women Deliver’s Digital University courses, accessing small grants for advocacy projects, opportunities to speak on national and global stages through Women Deliver Speakers Bureau, and attending the Women Deliver 2019 Conference, which will take place in Vancouver, Canada in June 2019.

The Women Deliver Young Leaders Program is renowned; over the last 18 months Women Deliver Young Leaders have been invited to speak at more than 155 events at the national and global levels, been appointed to 10 high-level boards and task forces, and featured in more than 175 media stories.

Testimonials from Women Deliver Young Leaders:

“The Young Leaders Program is the reason for many firsts in my career as an advocate/activist. [It] provided me an avenue to improve how I advocate for sexual and reproductive health and rights in the Philippines…I have grown more mature as a young leader and it has helped keep my passion for SRHR burning.”—Anthony Lopez, 26 years old, the Philippines
“Prior to the programme, I was a vocal advocate in a half-filled room. The Young Leaders Program has positioned me to explore my youth voice across dynamic global platforms where it matters most.”—Olaoluwa Abagun, 25 years old, Nigeria
“My ability to advocate within government circles has tremendously increased.”—Desmond Atanga, 25 years old, Cameroon
“I developed so many skills and was given a platform I would not have had were it not for this program. I feel empowered to continue my work even after this project has ended.”—Kizanne James, 30 years old, Trinidad and Tobago
“From being able to share my experiences in a platform like the Women Deliver Conference to receiving my very first grant to run a full-fledged project in rural Nepal acknowledging a rather neglected issue, it has proved to be a very rich experience for me.”—Aditi Sharma, 28 years old, Nepal

Iversen added, “I’m continually inspired by the work of our Young Leaders. Each class has moved the needle on gender equality in new ways, and I can’t wait to see how the 2018 class is going to change the world.”

Women Deliver looks forward to welcoming 300 young advocates into the 2018 class of Young Leaders. All applicants between the ages 15-28 (born between December 31, 2002 and December 31, 1989) with demonstrated interest in Women Deliver’s mission are encouraged to apply by Friday, 13 October 2017.

Additional information and the application for the Women Deliver Young Leaders Program can be found here.